How to Cook and Eat an Artichoke

Having been born and raised in California, I was exposed to eating lots and lots of artichokes. Since moving to the Bluegrass State I have come to the realization that they are not as popular in "these parts" as they are out west. I have been amazed and dismayed at how many people I have run across who have never eaten an artichoke. I'm talking about eating a real, whole, fresh artichoke, not just those that you find in a say—artichoke and spinach dip.

Coming from the thistle family they are actually a flower. Such a unique vegetable is interesting to eat as you make your your way "petal by petal" to the very "heart." They are a powerhouse of nutrients and a meager 60 calories per artichoke.

So, relax, sit back, and enjoy this step by step tutorial and then promise me you'll run out and buy one and try it. The following is the most basic way to prepare an artichoke. These vegetables are so versatile and fun to prepare other ways as well.

Trim bottom stem from artichoke. Place them in a large pot filling with water about half way up (as you see in the photo). Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, 30 - 40 minutes or until you can easily pull off outer leaves with tongs.

Remove from pan and set on plate, or serving dish.

Peel off a leaf, dip the underside in butter.

The soft underside of the leaf has a delicate, delicious flavor. It sounds strange to say it, but scrape off the leaf with your teeth. Discard the rest.

Continue with leaves, dipping in butter and scraping.

The leaves will become softer as you go and are still edible. You'll be sorry to be running out of them, but the best part is yet to come!

When you get closer to the "choke" you may discard the remaining leaves.

The "choke" is the cluster of immature florets at the very center of the artichoke, having a purple tint to them. They are not edible.

Scrape or spoon off to reveal the "heart." They come off easily.

This picture reveals half of the heart. The florets still remain on the other half.

This is the succulent heart of the artichoke. You can either dip in butter or melt a little pool right in the middle.

Enjoy!

Note: Artichokes cause some debate in my household. My husband likes to dip his in mayonnaise, I say they are better with butter (as is everything else—right)? Be sure to tell me which way you like it!

Carrot Cake Pancakes

I don't think I've ever met a pancake that I didn't like. While growing up my Uncle used to make his "famous" buckwheat pancakes. I loved them and would eat a huge stack. I have had pancakes in all shapes and sizes, fruit in them, fruit on top, various types of syrup (boysenberry - yum)! But, never before have I had Carrot Cake pancakes.

These were different, yet fantastic! The most time-consuming part of this recipe is shredding the carrots. It is a cinch if you have a food processor, if not, you might consider purchasing some pre-shredded carrots.

We really loved these. I was tempted to use syrup instead of the honey butter, I'm so glad I didn't, the honey butter added the perfect amount of sweetness to them. It really was the perfect carrot cake in pancake form!

This post has been linked to Eat at Home.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons honey

Directions

Spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.

Yield - 6 servings (2 pancakes and about 2 teaspoons honey butter); Calories 315

Spinach-and-Brie Chicken with Tomato Orzo

There are times when I try something new in the kitchen and the task seems daunting to me. I become filled with doubt and questions. In the case of this chicken recipe, here were the questions and fears cluttering my head: What if I don't cut the chicken thin enough? What if I don't roll it right and it looks horrible? How will I know when it's cooked through? What if the cheese melts all over the place?

Silly, I know. I'm such a worrier. I am happy to have "blazed the trail," so to speak, with this recipe and answer all those questions for you so you my dear reader, will run to your kitchen and make this. It was so worth it and really quite simple.

First I used 3 regular chicken breasts that I cut in half horizontally or lengthwise. No problem, just use a good knife.

As the directions say, be sure to roll it up tight, again, no problems there.

I was concerned about the cooking time, because after all, rolled chicken is thick chicken and 8 –10 minutes under the broiler just didn't seem long enough to me. After 10 minutes of broiling I did move the chicken to a lower rack in the oven and lowered the temperature to 350º while I finished preparing the rest of the meal—about 10 minutes. The chicken was done, perfectly!

As for my fear of the cheese melting all over. It did melt some onto the foil, but most of the cheese was held inside and was melty and yummy.

There, hopefully all your fears are relieved now, along with mine. Oh, and are you wondering about the taste? Fantastic! Grab some company, cause they will love it too. Not a Brie lover? No worries, I am anxious to try this dish with other cheeses as well. You could try goat, mozzarella, fontina, gorganzola, etc... If you do try it with other cheeses please comment and let me know how it tasted.

And, speaking of comments, I LOVE to hear from my readers. Please don't be shy, leave a comment. You'll make my day!

Spinach-and-Brie Chicken and Tomato Orzo

Adapted by Martha Stew

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds), cut in half, lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 4 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 8 slices
• 1 cup orzo
• 2 plum tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

Set a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. Place chicken on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Dividing evenly, spread one side of each cutlet with mustard; top with spinach, then cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Starting at short end, roll chicken up tightly, and arrange, seam side down, on sheet.

Season rolled chicken with salt and pepper. Broil, without turning, until tops are lightly browned and chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Move to lower rack and reduce to 350º for 10 additional minutes.

Meanwhile, cook orzo in boiling water until al dente. Drain well; return to pot. Add tomatoes, parsley, butter, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Serve stuffed chicken with orzo.

Yield - 4 servings (6 chicken rolls)

Field Salad with Snow Peas, Grapes and Feta

It has been so busy around here, since returning from Alaska. We came home to sick kids (they're better now). And, a long "to-do" list, which included planting over 300 seeds for starter plants (indoors) for my summer garden. I planted even more outdoors for my first-ever cold-weather garden. I'm excited to tell you more about my gardening efforts in an upcoming post.

This salad was appealing because it looked so fresh and "spring-like." I really liked the addition of the orange juice in the dressing. It also works great for keeping the calorie count down, as you don't need to use as much oil. The flavors in this salad came together beautifully. My husband commented that the salad seems more like a fresh, healthy dessert. It fits perfectly into any spring menu.

Field Salad with Snow Peas, Grapes, and Feta

Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups gourmet salad greens
• 2 cups snow peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss well.

Note: You can make the dressing up to 2 days ahead.

Yield: 6 servings - Calories 151

Alaska and the Story of Miss Camon Part 2

We were fortunate to fly into Anchorage, during daylight hours and on a day when it was clear and beautiful. The above photo was taken from our plane as we were getting close to Anchorage. I need to say from the outset that pictures really don't do justice to all your eyes are taking in. Alaska is—well, majestic and that is difficult to capture. We did however, make a feeble attempt.

Our first stop was, The Alaska Fur Exchange, a fascinating little store that held an array of animal fur. Head pieces, gloves, boots, and it seemed, any type of fur imaginable. We had fun "trying on" all the various pieces, including some boots made out of beaver, which would be a must for me, if I lived there. This is how the natives have kept warm for centuries.

You may be needing to sport a couple of wolverines on your head.

Or, how do you think hubby and I look as wolf and fox?

For lunch that day Camon took us to a little place you might be familiar with, called Taco Del Mar. We don't have them here in Kentucky, so for us, it was a treat. I ordered the fish tacos and they were delicious!

Next stop was Alaska Wildberry Products Theatre and Park. We were not able to do the Theatre and park because it's mostly outdoors and not open in the winter. However we did enjoy the gift shop which is home to a 20-foot chocolate waterfall. The "falls" uses 3,000 pounds of chocolate. You can of course smell it as soon as you walk in.

If you are a family with little kids, and in Anchorage in the summer, your family would really enjoy this.

Breakfast the next morning was a highlight. We went to a restaurant called Snow City Cafe, alocal favorite. The food was delicious! Camon ordered the Kodiak Benedict–poached eggs, Alaskan king crab cakes, toasted english muffin, hollandaise, topped with green onions.

My husband and I ordered the Crabby Omelet—snow crab, swiss cheese, green onions and avocado. This café also serves lunch and everything on their menu looked scrumptious!

On day three we ventured out of Anchorage about 40 miles south to a little town called Girdwood. Everything about this day was spectacular. The drive to Girdwood is next to the bay (or inlet) and you are surrounded on all sides with spectacular mountain views.

Here, Camon and I are right next to the frozen bay. Sometimes you would see lots of mud-flats and other times, you would see the bay starting to melt and streams of slush and ice moving in currents beside you.

Once in Girdwood we went to the Alyeska Ski Resort. We walked around the hotel and from the hotel you can take this tram to the top. The view on the way up and from the top of the mountain was incredible! I've never seen anything like it!

If you are an avid skier, then this is the place for you. This photo was taken looking up from where you exit the tram. The skiers also have a choice to go further if they take the ski lift.

There is a very elegant restaurant at the summit with an incredible view (of course). There is also a snack bar for the skiers. Another little round building hosts a collection of fascinating historical photos and local stories telling the history of Alyeska and the construction of the ski lifts.

For lunch on the next day we went to a great restaurant in Anchorage called Moose's Tooth. This was a delicious pub and pizzeria. Camon and I enjoyed splitting the "A-Mae-Zing" apricot pizza, blackened chicken, cream cheese, apricot sauce, fresh red peppers, carrot threads, green onions and cilantro. My husband enjoyed the Pastrami Sandwich.

And for dessert, when you're already full, how about a piece of mud pie—yum!

On one of our last days we had the privilege of going to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. They were having a special event that particular day called the Multicultural Drumming and Dance Festival. We not only were able to see the Alaskan natives dancing and drumming. But, we also enjoyed seeing a troupe from Hawaii and some modern dance from New York.

Our first and last meal in Anchorage was spent at The Glacier Brewhouse. We liked this restaurant so much that we decided to eat there twice. The first time we had the Bourbon BBQ Alaskan Salmon. We did not have the camera handy and we were quite hungry, so no pictures of that. To call it "delicious" is a bit of an understatement! The second time, we had the Ginger-Pepper Crusted Rockfish (pictured above). Ginger-pepper seared rockfish, jasmine rice, Thai coconut curry, sauted spinach and peppers with cucumber, mango and pineapple salsa. A great way to end a great trip!

We are course forever grateful to my dear friend Camon for making this trip possible. She was also a wonderful tour guide, having everything planned out in advance. Life is good. So much to enjoy! But it's all made so much more wonderful in the presence of dear friends. We are so blessed.

Alaska and The Story of Miss Camon Part 1

Camon and I Enjoying Alaska

As I mentioned in my last post my husband and I just returned from a wonderful trip to the 49th State. Before I go into the details of that trip, I'm going to tell you a story that will eventually lead to how we came to venture to the beautiful state of Alaska.

Do you ever stop and wonder what your life would be like if your paths had never crossed with people that you now call friends? Those who are not mere acquaintances—but persons that you would consider deep and intimate friends? The kind you could share anything with. Such is the case with my friend Camon (rhymes with "salmon").

About 20 years ago, my husband and I decided that it was time to leave southern California. I was born and raised there. We were both ready to get out of the asphalt and concrete and head for "greener pastures." So, we packed up a moving truck and with two kids in tow, and headed for my husband's home state of Kentucky.

Camon with Our Son a Few Years Back

Moving from the large metropolis of Los Angeles to a tiny little village called "Paint Lick" was quite an adjustment for me. Culture shock. No—more like culture whiplash! I had left behind all my extended family in California, but was thankful for the warm embrace of my husband's family. For my first few months there, I felt like I was at summer camp and would soon go home to "the big city."

After months of looking for a church that we could call "home." We finally found the right one, full of young families—many with several children. One such family was the Bakers. They had five kids, and over time I discovered that this household was exceptional! This was a family who loved with all their hearts and were passionate about serving people. Their middle daughter, Camon, was only 11 years old when we met them. When she turned 12, I asked her to babysit for me for a short period of time. She was happy to do it and it was very apparent from the start that she loved children.

On Vacation with Three of Our Sons and Our Niece

Over time, we had 2 more children and I would ask "Miss Camon" (as the boys called her) to babysit more and more. We did not have a lot of family around who were able to babysit, so Camon was literally a "Godsend" to us. She was so great with the boys and someone we could fully trust. Through her high school and college years Camon and I developed a deep friendship. I had the honor and privilege of being a mentor to her. She in turn, seemed to really have a beautiful bond with all my kids, but especially my two youngest.

She was a part of our family, she hung out with us, babysat, went on vacation with us. On one such vacation to California for a family wedding, she seemed to always get "stuck" with all the kids. We dubbed her "poor Miss Camon" on that trip. She was always such a trooper.

Camon with Her Sister Hannah in the Arctic Circle

And that's the kind of girl she is! She is silly, adventurous, intrepid, fun-loving, has a great sense-of-humor and yet has a very deep, caring, compassionate and sensitive side to her as well. She is serious about the things that matter and laughs at things that don't.

Camon and I after a 5K

After her college years her adventuresome spirit took over and she landed a job as an elementary school teacher in Alaska. She didn't shoot for the "sunny" south either– but rather a tiny village way up in the Arctic Circle. This is a place, mind you, where the sun barely dances on the horizon for about an hour and a half during the winter months. Can you imagine being on a playground in the dark, -20º (and colder), with 20 first graders? What can I say?—she's a wild woman!

After a 3-year stint she returned to the lower 48 for a couple of years. But this year she was back up in the Arctic Circle teaching school once again.

So, here's the deal, she calls me back in October and says, "Hey, how would you and your husband like to meet me in Anchorage during my spring break." "Oh my goodness, that would be a blast!" I replied. The whole trip was a gift from Camon to us for our 29th anniversary!

And a blast we did have!

Check back soon for my next post. I will be telling you all about our trip, the places we went, things we saw, and the wonderful food we ate!

Salmon Baked in Foil

I have been scarce and not posting much in the last week because I have been on vacation! My husband and I had a wonderful opportunity to go to the beautiful state of Alaska. I am excited to tell you all about it! Check back soon for pictures and a full report.

For today, a salmon recipe! We ate some great Salmon while we were in Alaska! I love the versatility of this fish, and this is just another great way to prepare it. It is a cinch to put together, bake and enjoy all the tasty, healthy benefits.

This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis. She explains this technique of cooking fish in Italy. It's called "al caroccio" which means "in a bag." This method actually steams rather than bakes the fish. Traditionally it's done with parchment paper, but aluminum foil is a bit better at locking in the juices.

Although I did used canned diced tomatoes, I am anxious to try this with fresh tomatoes, the recipe calls for using either, so that this can be prepared at any season.

It takes just 25 minutes to bake in the oven and comes out perfect and tender.

Salmon Baked in Foil

Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 2 chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape. Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.

Yield - 4 servings